OXFORD — Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Ben Howland stepped to the podium and reviewed all of his team’s injuries.
It was that kind of night for the
Bulldogs.
A 22-5 run to end the first half helped carry Ole Miss past MSU 88-61 on Tuesday night in a Southeastern Conference game before a crowd of 8,205 at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
“We won’t use the injuries as an excuse,” Howland said. “But we have had a lot of things happen to this basketball team. We lost the game late in the first half with too many turnovers and not getting back defensively in transition.”
Ole Miss shot 52.6 percent from the field in the first half and led 51-33 at halftime.
“After losing the first two games (of the homestand), this was a must-win,” Ole Miss junior guard Deandre Burnett said. “You always want to beat your rival. It was great to be out there and get things going like that.”
The Bulldogs played without I.J. Ready, who suffered a calf injury Saturday prior to a 71-62 loss at Alabama. Freshman Lamar Peters missed most of the second half after suffering a hip pointer going for a rebound. Peters re-entered the game, but a hard check to the hip area sent him back to the sidelines. Quinndary Weatherspoon also left briefly with an ailment, while Mario Kegler suffered a Charlie horse.
Without either point guard available for large stretches, the Bulldogs committed 19 turnovers.
“I.J. is fourth in the league in assists,” Howland said. “It hurts us when he is not there. Also when he is not there, Lamar gets into a situation where he simply tries hard. He just needs to slow down and the let the game come to him.”
With 7 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first half, Ole Miss led 29-28 after 3-pointers by Kegler and Weatherspoon. The Bulldogs managed two field goals the rest of the half.
“As a team, we are just too casual with the basketball,” Weatherspoon said. “I just don’t think we are cautious about what we are doing. We have to control the basketball better and make more plays. It’s frustrating because a lot of that was not what (Ole Miss) did to us but it is what we did to ourselves.”
Rasheed Brooks saw his first extensive playing time since suffering a seizure in the second half of a home victory against Tennessee. Brooks has been brought back slowly, but he had two steals and back-to-back baskets, including a 3-pointer, that helped extend the lead to 45-30.
“During a timeout, I looked at (Brooks) in the huddle and said, ‘Man, we are on this run because of you,’ ” Burnett said. “He grinned back. You could tell he was excited.”
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy was excited about his team’s first half. Ole Miss has won six of the last seven in the series and six-straight games in Oxford.
“Against Texas A&M (an 80-76 home loss) and Baylor (a 78-75 home loss), we were ahead in the second half and couldn’t finish,” Kennedy said. “That is what we challenged the kids with this week. Forget about the fact that it was a win over Mississippi State, even though that is important, the big thing is we found a way to finish.
“Most games in this series are tight until the end, so this is an exception.”
The Bulldogs went better than eight minutes without a giveaway to start the second half. A 3-pointer by Peters brought the Bulldogs within 64-54 with 10:39 remaining. Peters and Kegler then missed two off-balanced 3-pointers that allowed Ole Miss to go on a 12-0 run that sealed the deal. Peters left the game for good with 9:38 left and MSU trailing by 14.
“I really thought we had a great run to get back into the game,” Howland said. “The difference was transition defense. We just couldn’t get back. We gave up too many easy shots and we cut down the turnovers until we got back into the game.”
At 13-8 and 4-5 in league play, the Bulldogs will look to a softer schedule for the second half of conference play. The Bulldogs also will look to get healthy. Only three MSU players took part in their first MSU-Ole Miss game.
“I don’t believe in a (freshman) wall,” Weatherspoon said. “I think it is all about execution. We are a good basketball team, and we aren’t executing right now.”
Ole Miss (13-9, 4-5) kept its NCAA tournament hopes alive while avoiding what would have a been crucial home loss. The Rebels already have three conference home losses.
Terence Davis had 18 points, while Sebastian Saiz had his 15th double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds). Burnett had 16 points and Brooks had 15 points. Weatherspoon and Peters had 16 points for the Bulldogs.
“We have to keep fighting,” Kennedy said. “The kids were really down because we lost the first two (games of the homestand) the way we did. Thank goodness this game was on a Tuesday (after the Baylor loss Saturday) and against a rival. It was the right way to get back into the right mind-set we need to have.
“We can show this tape to the guys. This is how we need to play. This energy, passion, and execution can carry us a long way.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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